Wilmington High School Muckrakers: Parent VS Patient: Who Should be in Control?

Parent VS Patient: Who Should be in Control?

When growing up, children are refused a lot of things: toys, money, sweets, etc. The loss of those luxuries is typically harmless. The worst that may happen would be a pout or hissyfit. If that child is refused something as serious as health care, the results are much more detrimental. Child neglect is when the basic needs of a minor are ignored or, in this case, rejected. Unfortunately for the victims, this kind of abuse is brushed over far too often. The American health care system is unaccommodating for minors as seen through its handling of abortion clinics/contraceptive services, vaccines, and mental health treatment.

Reproductive health care seems to be the most tolerable of minors making medical decisions. In all fifty states, minors are allowed to go through STD/STI testing without parental consent. The majority of states also allow them to access contraceptive and prenatal/delivery services. Unfortunately, this tolerance stops at abortion. Thirty-one states require at least one parent to be involved in the abortion process. In about half of those states, the minor must have parental consent. As reported by the Guttmacher Institute, the number of states that agree has, in fact, gone up during the past few decades. Changes need to be made in reproductive health care for minors, specifically relating to abortion.

Vaccines have also stirred up controversy. Due to the anti-vax movement being a rather recent topic, very few laws have passed to counteract it. As of right now, federal law does not have any explicit restrictions on a minor’s consent rights to vaccines. Due to the National Childhood Vaccine Industry Act of 1986, it is required for a parent, guardian, or “legal representative” to overview the appropriate VIS (vaccine information statement). As a result, they would have to know the child is receiving the vaccine at the very least. Most state laws, although still being sparse, put the power of decision making in the parents’. Current vaccination laws are not in the best interest of children.

Mental health care seems to be the most difficult for minors to access, even with aid from parents. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five children suffer from some kind of mental disorder. Only about twenty percent of those children are fortunate enough to get treatment, medication, etc. This is largely due to the lack of health care professionals willing to work with children. There are only eighty-three-thousand mental health workers for minors in the United States. That number on its own seems immense, but when compared to the fifteen-million children who need help, it does not measure up. In older generations, there is still a stigma surrounding mental illness. Because of this, few parents are willing to go through the effort to get treatment for their child in this regard. This outdated negligence is one of the reasons that, in 2019, roughly ten minors lost their lives to suicide per every hundred-thousand. By making mental illness treatment more accessible to minors, this generation could grow up happier and healthier.

Health care accessibility in the U.S. is a problem in regard to people under the age of eighteen. Examples, where this is especially an issue, is reproductive health care, vaccinations, and mental illness aid. Children should not be in complete control of their health care; instances concerning surgery or highly addictive medications are too dangerous to be left entirely in the hands of a minor. It should also be noted that not all services are covered financially by health care, and the person providing money, typically the parent, should ultimately be able to decide under those circumstances. Although, this does not mean the patient’s opinion should be invalidated. Many of the restrictions set on minors’ decision making are due to religious or old-fashioned biases. By removing those from court, the solution would very much be underway. It is important to note that there are already organizations set up to help these minors too. These organizations find loopholes in the law in order to assist kids who are in desperate need of help. Public donations to places such as Planned Parenthood can do wonders for this cause. Regardless of one’s view on maturity and decision making, the wellbeing of children should always be the top priority.

Sources:

"Access to Adolescent Mental Health Care | HHS.gov."

https://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-development/mental-health/access-adolescent-mental-health-care/index.html. Accessed 23 Oct. 2019.

"Explore Teen Suicide in the United States | 2019 Health of ...."

https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/health-of-women-and-children/measure/teen_suicide/state/ALL. Accessed 23 Oct. 2019.

"Healthcare Treatment Decision-Making Guidelines for Minors."

https://www.practicalbioethics.org/files/ethics-consortium-guidelines/Minors-Decision-Making-Guidelines.pdf. Accessed 23 Oct. 2019.

"Improving Access to Children's Mental Health Care | CDC."

https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/access.html. Accessed 23 Oct. 2019.

"Legal Basis of Consent for Health Care and Vaccination for ...."

https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/121/Supplement_1/S85.full.pdf. Accessed 23 Oct. 2019.

"Limiting Parents' Rights in Medical Decision Making - AMA ...."